Universal Audio 1176LN Compressor Reissue #5217 (Used)

The Universal Audio 1176LN Classic Limiting Amplifier is a modern reproduction, yet every effort was made to remain faithful to UA founder Bill Putnam Sr.’s visionary design and intentions. The original UA 1176LN was a major breakthrough in limiter technology — the first true peak limiter with all transistor circuitry offering superior performance with a signature sound — and set the standard for all limiters to follow. The ultra-fast attack time and trademark sound have lured legendary artists and studio moguls alike to the 1176LN — Peter Frampton, Joe Satriani, Joe Chiccarelli, Vance Powell, and Mike Elizondo are just a few names on a list that’s continued to grow, for nearly 50 years.

REBIRTH OF A LEGEND

In 1999, when Bill Putnam, Jr. relaunched Universal Audio, a reproduction of the Blackface 1176LN was the company’s first product. Reissued in 2000, it was based on the circuit designs of the C, D, and E revs of the classic 1176. One of the most critical aspects of recreating the sound of the original hardware, was faithfully reproducing the original output transformer, complete with the additional windings that provided the feedback signal to the final line output amplifier circuit. Bill Putnam Jr. found extensive design notes that enabled him to recreate and improve his father’s original design.

PUSH-BUTTON MAGIC

One of the 1176’s famous features are its push-button selectable ratios of 4:1 and 8:1 for compression, and 12:1 and 20:1 for limiting. 1176 at 4:1, to its most notable setting, the “All Buttons In” mode, where all the ratio buttons are depressed simultaneously. This allows the 1176 to make a sound unlike any other processor ever heard before. Distortion increases, along with a plateaued slope and a lag time in response to initial transients, creating an explosive sound on drum room mics, fuzzing-out bass or electric guitar sound, or squeezing a vocal to bring it front and center of your mix.

ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES

Carefully trained Universal Audio staff hand build and test each unit at the UA Custom Shop in Santa Cruz, California until it meets UA's uncompromising standards. This Universal Audio Classic version of the 1176LN captures all the nuance of the original through obsessive attention to detail and delivers that trademark sound. Demand the original.